Reduction of testicular human chorionic gonadotropin receptors by human chorionic gonadotropin in vivo and in vitro

Changes in rat and human testicular human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) binding sites induced by hCG were estimated in vivo and in vitro. After a single administration of hCG, the specific 125I-hCG bindings were significantly reduced for 7 and 5 days in rat and human testes, respectively. Thereafter, 125I-hCG bindings had recovered to pretreatment values by the 14th day after the administration. Occupied hCG bindings accounted for about half of the reduced bindings on the day after administration of hCG. After this time, however, the occupancy did not contribute so much to the reduction of the bindings. In experiments in vitro using the organ culture technique, an exposure to hCG for 24 h induced a dose-related significant loss of the specific 125I-hCG bindings for 7 and 5 days in rat and human testes, respectively. Thereafter, the loss was gradually recovered. These patterns of changes in 125I-hCG bindings in vitro were similar to those in vivo. These findings suggest that the reduction in hCG binding sites by hCG is due to not only occupancy but also downregulation of the binding sites and that the testicular organ culture method used in the present study is useful to study hormonal regulation of testicular function, especially in human testes.